A DC Power Connector with Voltage Spike Suppression

This paper proposes a surge suppression connector in order to alleviate the hazard of arcs and voltage spikes caused by the abrupt change by the connector current as the mechanical separation. The proposed connector reduces the flowing current through the connector before it is disconnected, so as to effectively suppress arcs and voltage spikes. The connector is composed of a detection circuit, a microcontroller unit (MCU), a relay switch, a power switches, and an LC resonant circuit. Before the switch-off of the connector, the buckle must to be opened first. Then, the MCU can activate the LC resonant circuit to reduce the current flowing. Moreover, the switches can be turn-off via zero crossing detection (ZCD) as the current drops to zero. The circuit operation will be analyzed in detail and the circuit parameters are designed by considering the required power capacity. A circuit topology with a rated voltage of 48 V and 960 W was built. Experimental results verified that the surge suppression connector can separate the connector under a relatively low current for eliminating the arcs and voltage spikes.